Thorns II: Finding a Bluebird
by Tik-Tok-Sky
Summary: Summary:- Semi-AU, Sequel to Thorns. Two years later, Ciel lives between his manor and Sebastian's one. The queen has issued an order for him to investigate the 'Cursed Church of Sorrow'. Just from the name of it, Ciel could tell something was off.
1. Chapter 1

Thorns II:

Finding a Bluebird

Summary:- Semi-AU, Sequel to Thorns. Two years later, Ciel lives between his manor and Sebastian's one. The queen has issued an order for him to investigate the 'Cursed Church of Sorrow'. Just from the name of it, Ciel could tell something was wrong. Really wrong.

* * *

><p>Chapter One<p>

"Finian!"

Ciel leaned against a wall, frowning. He was trying to remember _why _his parents allowed such a child in their household. He wasn't exactly useful and he was like a sack full of hyperactive beans.

Question was, where the hell was Finian right now? 6:00am in the morning and Ciel was awoken from the playful squeal of Finian, who was probably amused by a deer or something. Why the hell would someone be interested in that?

Ciel shook his head, walking back to his office before sitting down, flicking a chess piece over before looking at his accounting records. While his manor was in the middle of getting rebuilt just over two years ago, Ciel had visited the bank with Sebastian to see what his family had left behind for him.

A lot of money and a business under the name of 'funtom'. He never knew his parents owned such a well-known _toy _company, but it explained why he got toys a lot when he was younger.

His profits had sky rocketed after he took over, designing intricate dolls at first before starting to focus on the board-game sector. Popular games were chess and this game under 'Monopoly', which he could vaguely remember finding at Sebastian's house.

Counting in his head, Ciel was growing, irritated at the amount of numbers he was forced to count. Perhaps he should hire a tutor or something. He wouldn't mind starting to play the violin again-

"Master Ciel!" Ciel looked up and narrowed his eyes when Finian broke into his office without knocking, dragging a chuckling Sebastian with him. "Mr. Sebastian is here! You also got a letter from Lady Elizabeth!"

Ah. Elizabeth. After taking up the Funtom Company once more, some woman had come through and then started spouting that her daughter was his Fiancée and… Well, Ciel just grew confused. He'd already told the woman that he wasn't interested, but 'apparently' it had been decided since the day he was born, so it made no sense whatsoever.

"I believe you should leave your manor for now Ciel." added Sebastian, red eyes glinting as he chuckled. "Lady Elizabeth is in London right now, so I think she intends to give you a surprise visit."

Great. Another distraction. Getting to his feet, Ciel rubbed at his temples as his heeled boots clicked softly off the leg of his chair.

"Tell that butler of mine that I'll be out for a while." muttered Ciel, referring to the butler that Sebastian had found. Old and kind, Tanaka was just…

Ciel wasn't willing to go down this road right now. Grabbing his jacket, he slipped it on, sloppily buttoning them up until Sebastian intervened, doing it for him.

"You _still _treat me like a little kid." Mumbled Ciel, feeling Sebastian place a top-hat on his head.

"You are only fourteen years old." Said Sebastian, red eyes blinking as his pale fingers redid Ciel's necktie. "To me, that is like a child, but you are a child in his teenage years."

"Shut up and let's go." Ciel rolled his eyes, getting to his feet while grabbing a wrapped sweet off his desk, trying to discreetly put it in his pocket. He knew he failed when he heard Sebastian chuckle, but it was beside the pint.

The Queen's guard-dog will not be mocked. Not ever.

* * *

><p>Name: Ciel Phantomhive<p>

Age: 14

Class: _**Aristocrat**_

Info:

**Height: - 159cm**

**Weight:- 7½ stone**

Bought at an underground auction, Mr. Ciel Phantomhive seems to be a shy, nervous young boy. When questioned about his parents, he ran into a separate bedroom. When asked where he used to stay, he remained silent.

Quite fragile and easily restless, Ciel Phantomhive is often plagued by nightmares and tends to wake up screaming through the night and looks for the sharpest object he can find in the room. Whether or not it is to harm others or himself is difficult to decide.

On further date, Ciel Phantomhive is now the Queen's watchdog, and has managed to survive his first task from the Queen, but just barely. He is sure to become one who will always be remembered.

Cases solved:- Demon of Phantomhive Manor. Jack the Ripper. Illegal Indian spices. Tea ship transporting drugs.

Current Case:- Cursed Church of Sorrow. Other information is N/A.

Ciel kept still as he hid behind Sebastian, watching his 'meant-to-be' fiancée run past him, not even recognising who he was as the demented woman known as her _mother_ walked past, eyeing Sebastian carefully, but didn't seem to notice Ciel behind him.

"Sebastian, is it just me, or is London… a bit too quiet?" Ciel said suddenly, looking round at the empty stalls and the little amount of people scurrying about. Sebastian nodded, but still had a smile on his face.

"I'm sure it is nothing," said Sebastian, pulling Ciel along. "Come on now, you do not wish to get caught by Lady Francis, now do you?"

Ciel shuddered, but then nodded, walking down an alleyway and then back into the street, taking a sudden left and then kept walking for another ten minutes, appearing at Sebastian's town house, which made Ciel blink in confusion.

"If I went to my manor, then Lady Francis would catch us. She took the liberty of figuring out where I stayed if she ever needed to find you." Ciel rolled his eyes before nodding, entering the building and then looking around. It was still a nice place, but it wasn't anything compared to a manor.

Better being here than suffer spending time with Elizabeth for a long time.

"Did you find out any new information about the case you've been given?" asked Sebastian pleasantly, causing Ciel to look at him suspiciously. Although the Queen had granted him permission to allow Sebastian to help him, he was always defensive about the jobs he had to do.

"No," muttered Ciel, shaking his head before sitting down in an armchair, pretending to look at his nail before sighing. "It appears I am stuck. Did you find out anything?"

"Nope." Ciel scowled. He had to be so… blunt about his answers, didn't he? Sighing, Ciel blinked when tea was offered to him, before his eyebrow twitched. Sebastian was getting too fast for his liking.

"Sebastian, no human can make tea that fast," muttered Ciel, causing Sebastian to blink innocently at him. "I hope you haven't been using that demon's speed outside of your own home or in front of people."

"Of course not," replied Sebastian, a smirk crawling onto his face. "I would never do that."

"Sure you wouldn't," said Ciel sarcastically, sipping at his tea. "I gave the seal to you since you deserved it, but don't use it like that. Use it for when you need it."

Sebastian nodded, but Ciel could tell that he was going to use the demons powers behind his back. After checking Sebastian over for a category, he was surprised to see that he was under category 1 and 3, Intelligence and strength with Natural abilities. Originally Ciel thought he was going to have to label Sebastian under 'common', but that didn't appear to be the case at all.

He was also shocked to find a demon chain linked to Sebastian's soul. The demon had forcefully hidden in Sebastian's body as a child and was now trapped inside due to the soul seal that Ciel had placed on him.

There were a lot of confusing things in life these days. Ciel glanced to the side before suddenly covering his nose, watching a cat come up to him and rub against his leg. Sebastian tilted his head before the young Phantomhive chose to explain himself.

"I'm allergic to cats," muttered Ciel, looking at the snow white cat before hissing as it decided to use him as a climbing post to get to Sebastian. The raven haired male blinked in an innocent fashion, nuzzling the fluffy creature and hugging it to his chest, listening to it purr. "I need to go, I can't stay near that... that _thing_."

Sebastian watched Ciel walk off before he chuckled, stroking the cat affectionately while his ruby-red orbs glinted. That was another thing to put in Ciel's record.

* * *

><p>Sitting down in the room Sebastian had allowed him to stay in, he opened the closet to see that clothes fit fitted him had already been placed there. He looked over to the desk and paused to see a doll he had started designing over a year ago, his eyebrows furrowing. He had started making a model church and he was in the middle of designing an angel.<p>

The angel that haunted his dreams so much. Getting to his feet, Ciel sat down and pulled open a drawer, taking out his paints, brushes and sharp carving knife out, examining the doll quietly.

Short, shiny silver hair, light aqua-violet eyes, pure white wings outstretched and a carefully designed silk dress that he had Maylene help him with. After harsh research, Ciel had figured out how to keep the dolls wooden, but made their limbs movable. Crafting a twisting ball in the shoulder, elbow and knee was quite a difficult task, but he figured it out. It should make good profits if he can find good enough crafts men to make it and-

"Such a pretty model of me, my darling Ciel." Ciel froze before whipping his head round, feeling a chilly wind hit his face as a woman identical to he doll he made, only the doll was nothing compared to the real person, stood right there. "I never thought you admired me so much."

"It's a product nothing more." said Ciel sharply, getting to his feet while glaring coldly at her. "How did you get in here without me noticing? The window was locked, there was no way-!"

Ciel took a step back and slapped the angel's hand away when she tried to pet his cheek.

"Get out of here before I kill you for what you've done here Angela!" Ciel moved when she reached out for him again, but her fingers caught the lace strap from his eye-patch, pulling it off and causing him to yelp as his purple eye flashed open in panic.

"Didn't I tell you not to follow the tracks your parents?" she said, her voice sounding too innocent for Ciel's liking. He was being overly cautious, sensing something off. He blinked when he heard a cat screeching and then a knock at his door.

"Ciel? Is something the matter?" Ciel paled and Angela glared coldly at the door, her wings fluttering slightly as she growled, causing the door to open, Sebastian walking through before stopping and looking at the female angel, his red eyes flashing before calming themselves.

"I didn't know you had a visitor." said Sebastian calmly, feeling his eye twitch from being in such close contact with her. "Should I leave you in peace?"

"Sebastian, just lea-!"

"Filthy, unclean _demon_!" screeched Angela, bringing out a red glowing chain out of nowhere as Ciel darted across the room, appearing in front of the angel as she hurled it at Sebastian, the chain hitting him instead and knocking him to the floor. Reaching for his neck, he scrabbled at the chain that was burning at his neck. "Foolish child! A human isn't meant to be hit with that!"

Ciel choked and Sebastian snarled, about to attack Angela, but Ciel hissed at him angrily, still pulling at the chain.

"S-Sebastian! Get out of here!" shouted Ciel. "She'll kill you!"

The cat on the raven's shoulder hissed and then lunged at the angel, only to get knocked to the floor as Angela approached Ciel, grabbing the chain and tearing it from him, narrowly dodging Sebastian when he tried to hit her and grabbed Ciel by the hair, pulling him across the floor and forcing him to his feet.

"You have become so impure!" screeched Angela, lifting Ciel off the ground before flapping her wings, flying to the other side of the room as Sebastian tried to hit her again and again, but not managing to hit her at all. Red eyes widened as he saw the angel about to throw Ciel out the window, but another angel appeared in the room and grabbed her by the arms, stopping her and making her let go of Ciel.

"Angela, you were here to catch the demon, not kill a human boy."

"I don't care! My pure Ciel is no longer pure! I destroyed them! He shouldn't be like this Ash! He's just-" she started screaming when Ciel disappeared from her feet and appeared at the other side of the room, clinging to Sebastian as he held him tightly, glaring daggers at Angela was glared right back.

"Angela, we'll deal with this later, you need to calm down." said Ash, dragging Angela by the wrist and jumping through the window and making sure the oddly silent angel was still behind him.

Sebastian stayed still as he let Ciel cling to him, moving his hand slowly and pulling at the collar of Ciel's shirt, looking at the dark red burns that went round in loops on the boys' neck, whispering quietly to Ciel. Mismatched eyes glanced up at Sebastian got to his feet, making sure to move carefully so not to hurt Ciel further.

Sitting the smaller male onto the bed, he undid the top buttons of Ciel's shirt, tracing gloved fingers over the burned flesh before pulling them back as Ciel winced.

"I heard the other angel say the name Angela." said Sebastian gently, causing Ciel to close his eyes. "Is it _that _Angela?"

Ciel nodded, turning his head to the side and looking at the white feathers scattering the floor. In his hand, he held the model Angela tightly, biting at his lip. He nearly died over trying to protect Sebastian, but Sebastian refused to move right after it, so he could have still gotten killed. Clenching his fists tightly, Ciel mumbled, opening his eyes and looking a Sebastian with bitterness.

"Promise me something." said Ciel, nibbling his lower lip as Sebastian nodded. "Promise me you'll be careful. She's going to come back and she's going to try and kill you. I don't have my doubts that she will kill me too."

Ciel reached for his face, his fingers hovering over his purple eye as he trembled lightly, feeling Sebastian's hand pet his head soothingly.

"She'll do to me as she did my parents. She's going... to claw my eyes out."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know Ash and angela are the same person in the anime (didn't want to load the sequel with OC's so I used this person by splitting them into seperate ones. So Angela and Ash are just twins :3**

**It feels like forever since I last wrote, so I wrote this out... I hope it turned out well :)**

**P.S, I might not be able to update everyday like I used to, but I can try~ I have prelimbs and exams I need to revise for so I don't know if I'll be able to write as often, but you should get a few updates a week~**

**~Sky~**


	2. Chapter 2

Thorns II:

Finding a Bluebird

Summary:- Semi-AU, Sequel to Thorns. Two years later, Ciel lives between his manor and Sebastian's one. The queen has issued an order for him to investigate the 'Cursed Church of Sorrow'. Just from the name of it, Ciel could tell something was wrong. Really wrong.

* * *

><p>Chapter Two<p>

_The dreams, they haunted him so. All he could see was 'red'. Red was the color of many things and he hated it. Red represented blood, and blood was the liquid that painted the bodies of all his loved ones, his family. His mother, father and aunt were all gone. This is why he detested it._

_Blue was a different thing. Blue was a calm color, a soothing color, one that made him feel safe. It represented the vast sea, the big sky that he was named after. It was also the color of his mother's eyes and it was the color of that beautiful creature known as a bluebird. Singing its sorrowful tune and gliding gracefully over smooth, blue water, this was the reason Ciel liked blue over red._

* * *

><p>Opening his eyes slowly, Ciel blinked as he felt a cold cloth being dabbed at his neck, staying still as he saw raven hair flutter slightly. Sebastian was worried. It was obvious, thus the reason he stayed here to treat Ciel's wounds.<p>

"Sebastian..." after hearing his name being spoken, Sebastian raised his gaze to Ciel's mismatched eyes, smiling softly.

"You woke up." he said, his voice full of relief for the younger male. "I didn't know how bad your injuries were, but it seems that you aren't harmed that badly."

Ciel nodded, before wincing and let Sebastian continue dabbing at the burns. It felt strange. Ciel was sure that when he woke up, things would have been a lot worse than this, but Sebastian was treating it as if he had fallen over and simply grazed himself. Maybe it was a coping mechanism?

Looking at the window and the floor near it, Ciel noted there were a few feather scattered about, but paid it no mind. Out of he two angels, this Ash seemed to like to keep his head straight, so he made a perfect partner for Angela. Thing is, it was a question on how long Ash would stop Angela from coming back.

Glancing to the side, Ciel glared daggers at the toy model and church, wishing to burn it, but decided against it when he thought about the profits he would make. Looking back at Sebastian, Ciel blinked when he noticed the raven had already pulled away the wet cloth and was now holding soup in his hands, spoon at the ready.

"Sebastian, don't you dare even try." growled Ciel, noticing how Sebastian was sitting himself down. "I can feed myself! Give me the bowl!"

"But your injured." stated Sebastian, pulling a face as his red eyes shimmered. "I can't expect you to do this when you're in this state."

"Give me the bowl!" demanded Ceil, his eyes narrowing as he sat himself up. "Go look after a cat! Actually, just look after the fluff ball you own!

Sebastian stayed quiet as Ciel blinked, folding his arms and huffing loudly. It was rare for him to take temper tantrum, but he felt so annoyed at right at the older male's actions. He was perfectly capable of looking after himself, he didn't need Sebastian to play butler with him, so why-?

"I can't." said Sebastian quietly, his eyes still glittering slightly. "If I touched the cat and then touched your food, then you'd probably take an allergic reaction. I'd prefer not to have to deal with you like that and treat your injuries."

Ciel wondered if Sebastian's answer was sincere or if it was just an excuse. Deciding not to argue against it, Ciel lay back down, rolling onto his side and mumbling quietly, his hands reaching for his stomach and clutching at it gently. He could feel the raven's concerned stare on his back.

There was a still silence until Sebastian spoke up once more.

"I'll leave the food. Come downstairs when you feel up o it." Ciel didn't move as he felt Sebastian's weight coming off the bed and heard light footsteps, the gentle steps stopping when the door clicked open. A couple more gentle taps from the raven's shoes before everything went quiet once more.

It was so quiet. Ciel rolled back onto his side, his head whipping to the side as the candles blew out, leaving the room in darkness.

* * *

><p>"I was busy." it was a lame excuse. A toddler could probably come up with a better excuse than that. Ciel flinched when he felt his Aunt Francis whack a fan off his head and felt Lizzy's far-too-loving stare on his frame. Seriously, they barely knew each other, but listening to the girl spout about their 'future' was getting on his nerves.<p>

"Then I suggest you make time for my daughter." snapped Francis, pushing her daughter along so she stood in front of Ciel. "You're old enough to arrange some form of timetable, if you can't do it, then get your butler to do it!"

Ciel tried his best to blocked Francis out from his mind as Elizabeth threw herself at him, laughing gleefully. This was one of the times he wished Sebastian was with him. Sebastian always got him out of awkward situations, but the older male had warned him yesterday that he had to do work for his trading company with a guy called Lau.

"Hello Elizabeth." said Ciel dryly; also ignoring the glare Lizzy's older brother Edward threw at him. Although everyone knew about his too-obsessive liking for his younger sister, Edward always tried to hide it. Too bad it was plain obvious.

"Ciel! I told you too call my Lizzy! Or perhaps just Lizz suits you better?" twitching his eyebrow, he felt a stabbing glare from Francis as he coughed lightly.

"A-Ah... I feel more comfortable calling you Elizabeth..." Ciel gave her half-a-smile, earning a squeal in response as she clung to him there. It wouldn't be much longer before Sebastian came to save him... right? He'd been spending time with the blonde girl before him for a few hours. Actually, he was shocked he was spending time with her.

Ciel did like Lizzy, just not her obsession with cute things. The instant she was gone, he was going to wrench this bow away from his hair and then make sure he didn't have to see her for a while. Maybe it would be best if he got a townhouse like Sebastian suggested?

"These are so cute!" Ciel snapped out his trance as Lizzy waved a doll in front of his face, causing him to pale. "Is this a new product Ciel? I didn't think someone could turn an angel into a toy- oh! Its arms and legs actually move!"

"Yes... a product..." he trailed off, watching his meant-to-be Fiancée look at the doll with bright eyes. She looked up, smiling brightly as she stared at him with glittering green eyes.

"When you finish the product, could I have this doll?" she asked, giving Ciel the puppy eyes. "I want the doll you made Ciel! Not the one a craftsman would give me!"

Blinking carefully, the young Phantomhive allowed his hair to hide his eyes as he clenched his fists, murmuring lightly as he forced himself not to bite his lip.

"You can have that doll right now. I don't intend to continue." Ciel looked at the ground to see that his bag was open, the church was clearly visible. "You can have that model too."

Snapping his head up, he looked behind himself to see Sebastian standing there, a smile on his face and his eyes closed. Damn him, the raven knew that Elizabeth admired him since he was the one who saved Ciel from the clutches of bloody perverted males. She probably had this big picture in her head, like a big dramatic scene with Ciel calling out for help and Sebastian flying through the doors before he-

"My, you have one overactive imagination." looking behind himself, Sebastian smirked lightly as he pulled back, bowing towards Francis and giving off his killer smile that most females would probably faint at- too bad Francis was like a rock to such thing. "A pleasure to see you again, Madam Midford."

Francis remained quiet before calling out to her daughter, who ran to him straight to her while holding the church and angel tightly. Ciel was brought back to reality when Sebastian placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go back to your manor. Tanaka-san can get us some tea while we sort through your accounting records. I also managed to get you a new violin teacher; I can remember you saying something about wanting to take up the instrument once more." Sebastian steered Ciel in the opposite direction from Elizabeth, who was waving and shouting out her goodbye. "You're very quiet, is everything ok?"

Sebastian stopped when Ciel stopped, frowning lightly as he opening his red eyes, allowing them to glow faintly as Ciel reached off and brushed his hand away from his shoulder.

"I just feel a little out of place. I don't really feel well either so-" Ciel stopped before covering his mouth, choking before he started spluttering. Sebastian reached for his shoulders once more as he clutched at his stomach, hearing Elizabeth call for him as he fell to his knees. He felt like he was choking on his blood, which he probably.

After a few hard pats on the back, he puked over the ground, his face going pale as his vision flickered. Red was such a hideous color... pity it was laced through his vomit. He could hear Elizabeth behind him as Sebastian picked him up, wrapping his warm arms round his chest.

"T-Take me home... just take me home S-Sebastian..."

* * *

><p>Gripping at the sheets, Ciel's eyes flashed open as he tried to make a sound, but he felt a hand covering his mouth and froze. Looking to the side, he saw Sebastian sitting there, a gloved hand preventing him from crying out as his tired eyes skimmed over a book he was reading.<p>

"I can't let you make too much noise. You'll wake up Finian." Ciel's eyes softened. He knew Finny usually started crying whenever Ciel started screaming through the night. It was probably a way to cope with seeing and hearing his master screaming.

Sebastian let his hand slide away from the younger male's mouth as he bookmarked his page before snapping the book shut. He was about to get back to his feet when he felt Ciel grab his contract hand.

"I-I need to feed you..." mumbled Ciel, causing Sebastian to narrow his eyes.

"Not right now, you're ill and I refuse to-!" Sebastian went quiet when his eyes brightened and glowed, swirling and twinkling as a chuckle entered the room. _"He had a point child, feed me in your state and you'll probably get yourself killed sooner or later."_

"Well, I'd rather that than let Sebastian go rampage on me." snapped Ciel in response, opening his purple eye and allowing it to glow brightly. "Feed now and then hand Sebastian's body back. Don't go overboard."

_"Yes, little master," _Ciel was about to argue about the title, but froze when he felt two hands cup his face roughly. What the hell was going on? This wasn't how he usually fed Sebastian! He remained still as a hand clamped over his eye and he hissed lightly.

"Do it normally- you're hurting me!" Ciel yelled, feeling a crushing grip on his face as the demon let a smirk crawl across Sebastian's face.

_"Well, you're the one whose been starving me." _growled the demon in return, using Sebastian's hands to tighten his grip on Ciel's face. _"I think this is retribution to your lack of thought."_

"I said stop it! You're going to bruise me-!" a sharp twist in Ciel's stomach silenced him quickly, causing him to choke as he felt a shooting pain go through his skull from his eye, causing him to cry out lightly. "Stop it!"

Falling backwards, Ciel gasped as he felt his face sting as he clutched at his stomach, choking as he heard Sebastian flop to the ground. It sounded loud, the 'THUD' that accompanied Sebastian's fall. Ciel looked weakly to the floor to see Sebastian laying there, eyes wide as his hands twitched.

"Y-You should h-have told have told me what m-mood he was in..." panted Ciel, feeling his face bruise quickly. "If I'd known that, then maybe I w-would have waited until tomorrow..."

"You honestly think I try to speak to that _thing?_" growled Sebastian in response. "If I had my own way, I wouldn't feast on your soul at all!"

"If you didn't feast on my soul, then that demon would claw you inside-out in its bid to break free and feed." replied Ciel, closing his eyes and wincing. "Go to sleep now. We can check the damage later"

"..." Sebastian remained quiet as he got to his feet. This is the worse incident involving his demon. Sure, the demon in him always tormented Ciel each time feeding time came along, but this form of reaction was new. Maybe since an angel had touched Ciel he was mildly disgusted? Who knew?

* * *

><p><em>'London Bridge is falling down... falling down... falling down.. London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady...'<em>

_Ah. It was one of those dreams again. Looking around at the white area, Ciel blinked in confusion. It wasn't in the church today. Looking round, he paused when he looked at a shimmering white water fountain with Angela sitting next to it, feeding ducklings with Ash by her side. It looked different- they looked normal, like humans. But more like untouchable, beautiful ones._

_'Angela, stop singing that song with the child so nearby.' scolded Ash, causing Angela to pause before turning round, a smile on her face as she rose to her feet, looking at Ciel before her eyes rested on the burns on his neck._

_Looking down at himself, Ciel blinked when he was wearing a simple, long white shirt with a cross on the centre, one ball marking each section of the cross, equaling up to four balls in total.._

_'My little pure Ciel!' frankly, Ciel was disgusted by the way Angela acted. She was possessive, she killed his parents, there was hardly a shred of good in her anywhere. How she ever came to be an angel was shocking. Angel's were meant to be kind and were meant to soothe ones soul._

_Angela made Ciel's fluctuating soul tremble and quake. She was hardly soothing at all. She may be soothing to others, but she wasn't soothing to him. Perhaps this was the reason she showed such an affectionate interest in him. It was creepy, killing his parents just so she could try and brainwash him into loving her as a parent figure._

_It was disgusting._

_"Get out of my dreams." growled Ciel, his gaze going towards Ash as he sat quietly, not even moving as he watched the young Phantomhive with curious eyes. "I suggest you ensure she doesn't come near me."_

_'There's only so much I can do.' replied Ash, earning a glare from Angela. 'My sister is stubborn. Please forgive her.'_

_"I will never forgive her." growled Ciel in response. "She killed my parents and ruined my life. If she truly cared for me after killing my parents, then she shouldn't have let me freeze on the streets and she shouldn't have let me be sold at auction. She should have protected me from John Anderson. She should have just stayed out of my life and let me live happily with my parents."_

_'I think I'm going to rewrite your memories.' said Angela coldly, reaching forward towards Ciel before Ash pinned her back, a frown on his face._

_'You haven't gained permission to do that.' said Ash through gritted teeth. 'Last time you done that, you were pinned to the ground and had the feathers stripped from your wings.'_

_At that, Angela shivered and Ciel smirked. He didn't give a damn that Angela had hurt in the past. She had hurt him so she deserved to suffer. Actually, she deserved to plain die._

_'Do not fret too much about her for now.' said Ash suddenly, causing Ciel to tilt his head up. 'Angela has been confined to the church for the moment, so if she tries to leave, a death penalty will be sent out.'_

_Well, that gave Ciel some time to think things through. Looking round the area one more, his eyes were brought to two white doves that were flying about in circles. He smiled then, watching as one dipped gracefully and the other tried to copy its movement, making soft noises. The bigger dove sung its pretty song while the little one tried to copy while flying._

_Ciel blinked when the bigger dove turned black and screeched loudly, covering his ears as he was the smaller dove become started and fly away in the other direction, getting itself caught in a rosebush and cutting its wings on the thorns._

_Running over to it, Ciel let it go, cutting his fingers in the process as he looked back up as the now black dove, only to grow confused that it was sparkling white again._

_'Demons are like that Ciel, they deceive you.' looking up and staring at Angela, Ciel narrowed his eyes and chose to ignore her as the doves continued to fly around happily. 'They have a kind facade, but when you least expect it, they swoop and attack. It that not the reason why you're face is black and blue?'_

_Ciel blinked before reaching for his face, tracing the bruises lightly with his fingertips before shaking his head. No, she was wrong. Demons may be cruel creature, but this was Sebastian, Sebastian would never hurt him. It was the demon inside of Sebastian that hurt him, not him, not-_

_'Those unclean bruises were cast across your face by a demon that craves your soul. That demon will crush the very thing I tried to protect and you defend it? You little-'_

_'Angela, silence.' Ash cut in before things got out of hand. 'If you keep going, then I'll report that you've been breaking into this child's dreams when you haven't been allowed to.'_

_Angela went quiet before looking up at the doves and snapping her fingers, causing Ciel to whip his own up and widen his eyes in shock. They were burning, crying, perhaps screaming. She was a murderer in his dreams as well._

_And so the doves fell to the ground, burned and charred, the beautiful forms now turning to ashes._

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: First day back at school... ugh, this is going to be a pain, isn't it? Yup._**

**_We had a powercut last night o.o nearly lost this chapter since I was in the middle of writing it when it happened o.e. Sorry for any mistakes and I hope you enjoyed~_**


	3. Chapter 3

Thorns II:

Finding a Bluebird

Summary:- Semi-AU, Sequel to Thorns. Two years later, Ciel lives between his manor and Sebastian's one. The queen has issued an order for him to investigate the 'Cursed Church of Sorrow'. Just from the name of it, Ciel could tell something was wrong. Really wrong.

* * *

><p>Chapter Three<p>

"Sebastian, wake up!" fluttering his eyes open, the raven haired male blinked to see Ciel standing over him, a frown on his face. "You normally wake up early! I was starting to think you bloody died!"

Sebastian rolled his eyes before sitting up, automatically reaching over to redo the buttons of Ciel's shirt despite his protests. The necktie was retied and Ciel's indoor cap was adjusted before the older male smiled at his accomplishment, thinking a bit of blue hair that refused to stay down.

"I can sleep a little longer every once in a while can I not?" replied Sebastian, a smirk appearing on his face. "And if I didn't know better, it seems as if you were concerned about me~"

"S-Shut up…" grumbled Ciel, folding his arms before pouting. Anyway, I was hoping you could help me with the accounting records, I have my Violin tutor coming over today, remember?"

"Ah yes, so you do." said Sebastian, his eyes glinting as he got up and striped his shirt, chuckling when Ciel bolted out the room. Ciel always was like that, Sebastian could imagine the younger covering his eye right now. Buttoning up a white shirt, Sebastian yawned as he looked at the clock with a tired expression. 11:22am. He had slept in indeed.

"Master Ciel!" both Sebastian and Ciel looked up to see Finian running into the room, panting lightly as he smiled brightly. "Miss Amelia is here to teach the violin!"

Ciel nodded and got to his feet, looking at Sebastian before looking at the money and paper that were scattered across the table.

"Can you finish this off for me?" Sebastian nodded before taking Ciel's seat, causing the younger male to sigh. "It's only an hour and a half session, so it shouldn't be that long. My violin is in the lounge room isn't it?"

Sebastian nodded before he began counting, much faster than would Ciel could do since he was used to it. His trading company and Ciel's toy company had somewhat merged since he agreed to ship the toys the young Phantomhive manufactured, so in a way helping each other out was a good thing. It saved Sebastian having to pair up with other people.

Ciel nodded to him before he left the room, making sure his eye-patch was in place as he headed towards his destination.

* * *

><p>"This is the little master that I am meant to teach?" Ciel raised an eyebrow at her surprised expression. She probably expected him to be a little older looking, but she still beamed at him.<p>

"Let me introduce myself, my name is Amelia Simon. I was hired by Mr. Michaelis to tutor you Violin." her eyes glanced over the dark wood instrument Ciel had brought out and her eyes brightened. "Good taste. That Violin should make a beautiful sound."

Ciel nodded, blinking his dark blue eye calmly as the woman brought out her own Violin, a smile crawling onto her face as she turned her back on him to read music, silvery-blonde hair sweeping over her shoulders.

"Today we shall practise '_Fur Elise_' by Ludwig van Beethoven." she said calmly, skimming over he music sheets as she turned back round, a delicate smile on her face. "First… you start of like this and…"

Ciel watched as she played the piece slowly, resisting the urge to yawn. Watching was always best, but it could be incredibly boring. Plus, he had learned that piece when he was younger, so he could easily pick it back up.

Ciel was snapped out of his daze as a question was thrown at him.

"If you don't mind me asking, but can I ask of you what happened to your eye?" Ciel unconsciously covered it before bowing his head, thankful the eye patch was still in place as he replied in a dry tone.

"Just a lazy eye, nothing to be concerned about." replied Ciel, watching as the lady tilted her head before she reached forwards, about to take the eye patch off before Ciel backed away from her.

"If it's only a lazy eye there is no need to hide it from me." she said gently, her light blue eyes sparking slightly. "Come on, take it off so I can continue the lesson."

"Don't order me around." growled Ciel. "Just remember who I am and who is paying you. I'm quite comfortable with the patch on."

"Don't be ridiculous! It's only an eye patch-!"

"Ciel." the young boy whipped his head round to see Sebastian standing there, a smile on his face with Elizabeth by his side, who was smiling her usual bright smile.

"Ciel is playing the violin again!" she said happily. "Ciel used to play violin when he was younger, did you know that Mr. Sebastian?"

"Of course." said Sebastian, still smiling with his eyes closed, hiding the fact his eyes were red and glowing. Elizabeth threw herself at him and hugged him tight. This one time Ciel was actually happy to have his meant-to-be Fiancée butting in; it meant that he couldn't panic over this oblivious tutor.

"A pleasant surprise to see you once again, Lady Elizabeth." said Ciel, placing a fake smile on his lips. "I'll go get Tanaka to make you some tea and-"

"You haven't finished your lesson yet." said Amelia sharply, causing Ciel to look at her with fake surprised eyes as he replied in a fake hurt expression.

"I'm so _terribly sorry_, but I hope you understand that I put my _Fiancée _before anything else." Ciel wanted to choke on the words. It wasn't true, but it meant he could be out of this woman's sight and reach. "I'll have Sebastian contact you whenever I'm free for another lesson. Good day to you, Miss Amelia."

Grabbing Elizabeth's hand, he walked away quickly, Sebastian opening his eyes before looking Amelia over a few times before a furrowed expression before walking away, yawning once more.

Amelia let her eyes glitter as she shrugged, packing up her stuff before smiling to herself.

"Mistress Angela, that boy you seek certainly is a strange one." she giggled to herself as she snapped her violin case shut. "I wonder what you intend to do now? It's clear he has a strong connection to the demon he contracted with~"

Amelia giggled once more as she gathered papers up, looking around the lounge before humming to herself.

'_London Bridge is falling down… falling down… falling down, London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady…'_

* * *

><p>"Elizabeth, you're hurting me…" she instantly pulled back and looked at Ciel neck where the fading burns were. Ciel automatically covered it as he looked away.<p>

She kept questioning him about it but he knew he couldn't answer. If she even knew just a little bit about his past there was a high chance she would grow horrified and then run for her life. Not that he would have minded, but Elizabeth seemed the type of person to spread a ton of rumours.

"I have prepared Earl Grey for you two to drink." Ciel looked up and then nodded towards Tanaka as he bowed and left the room. Sipping his tea, he let it soothe him as Elizabeth ranted on how well the doll he made went with all her other dolls and that the church model with beautiful.

Sebastian sat in the corner of the room, his red eyes still glowing as he hid his face behind a paper. He couldn't show his eyes when they were acting like that or Elizabeth would know that something was up.

He look over the top of the paper as saw Ciel nodding with a blank look on his face as Elizabeth started her rant about cute and proper things and how she loved shoes and frilly dresses. If it were him, he would have found a polite excuse to leave.

Sebastian leaned back and closed his eyes, thinking about his father briefly before brushing the thought away. He wasn't on the best of terms with his father; all the man ever cared about was continuing the Michaelis bloodline.

Sebastian just didn't like the thought that the person he used to call for happily would begin throwing females at him from all over London. It was a pain, but Sebastian had to endure it. The only reason he had managed to stay away from it all was because of his trading company.

As he glanced back towards the pair, he arched an eyebrow as he noticed they had begun to play chess, Ciel picking up his knight before knocking over one of Elizabeth's pawns.

"Focus a little more, Elizabeth."

"I said call me Lizzy!"

Ah. An argument was on the verge of brewing. Sebastian let a chuckle escape his lips before covering it when Elizabeth looked at him with a confused expression and Ciel looked at him with a wary one.

Looking back at his paper, Sebastian pretended to read as his eyes skimmed over the pictures before coming to a stop at one that showed a church.

'_Warnings have been issued not to go near the church until the mystery of a small child has been revealed by Scotland Yard.' _Sebastian wanted to mention this to Ciel, but he didn't bother mentioning it in front of Elizabeth. The female was a bit funny when Ciel focused on work more than he did her.

It was easily something Sebastian could discuss with the younger male later.

* * *

><p>"A child murdered in the church nearby?" Ciel felt his eyebrows furrow before he sighed. "That can't be good. Soon Scotland Yard will be on my tail and accuse me of doing it myself."<p>

"What are you planning to do?" said Sebastian, letting his eyes shimmer lightly.

"I am Ciel Phantomhive, Earl Phantomhive." stated Ciel softly. "I will figure out the cause of this Childs death to ease the Queen's worries."

Too bad Ciel already knew the cause of the child's death and had no intention of investigating a lost cause.

* * *

><p><em>A quiet laughter, laughter full of sugar-coated innocence. Ciel opened his eyes before sitting up abruptly, spluttering and coughing as he looked at the water surrounding him, the long, silk shirt he was wearing wet and sticking to his skin.<em>

_He could heard the doves singing and then could see Angela walking round the garden happily, picking at white roses and twirling them in her fingers._

'_Ah, my little pure Ciel, you have awoken…' Ciel narrowed his eyes at her, the temptation to walk over and throttle the angel growing more and more tempting. He continued to sit in the water, feeling his skin become icy cold._

"_Trying to drown me in my dreams now?" spat Ciel, looking at Angela who merely turned to look at him, a bunch of roses held tightly in her hands._

'_I didn't do anything.' she stated calmly, her purple eyes glinting just slightly. 'That's just were you happened to wake up. I can't predict where you'll appear in this little dream world of mine.'_

_She took out a rose from her bunch, twirling it in her fingers before letting another innocent laugh come from her before she stopped and looked at Ciel with questioning eyes._

'_You never told me about that Fiancée of yours.'_

_Ciel froze. He knew he hadn't told Angela about Elizabeth and he was planning to keep it that way, but now since she knew, Ciel had to question her._

"_How do you know about Elizabeth?" growled Ciel, watching as Angela approached him slowly. She kept a smile on her face as she stood at the side of the water fountain, watching as the boy grew uncomfortable with her being so close._

'_I have my sources.' she murmured, the rose in her hand no longer twirling as it slowly faded to black. 'I have many eyes to keep watch of you, my darling Ciel~'_

_The black rose hit the water and Ciel stared at it, his eyes narrowing. She had many eyes? Was that even possible?_

_Ciel didn't know, but he was willing to find out._

* * *

><p><em>AN: Arghhhh... I don't like this chapter at all o.e I was THIS close just to rewrite it, but then i wouldn't have been able to update for another little while ._

_I'm sorry for the sucky chapter, I'll make the next one more interesting ^^_

_~Sky~_


	4. Chapter 4

Thorns II:

Finding a Bluebird

Summary:- Semi-AU, Sequel to Thorns. Two years later, Ciel lives between his manor and Sebastian's one. The queen has issued an order for him to investigate the 'Cursed Church of Sorrow'. Just from the name of it, Ciel could tell something was wrong. Really wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

"Tape the whole area off, I don't want anyone near the scene. It could erase evidence."

Ciel walked round, knowing his way round the place pretty well as he identified this was the place in his dreams, but deliberately made it seem like he was lost in front of Scotland Yard so he didn't look suspicious. The child found was a demon that he'd been able to confirm with his eye, and Sebastian had let out a feral growl when being near him, so it was pretty obvious.

Kneeling down next to the body, Ciel peeled the shirt away to see that the child had been stabbed through the chest, just like all the other demons he had saw in his dreams. The child also had bleeding blisters around his wrists and ankles, indicating shackles. The thought of those chains wrapped round his neck popped in his head, causing him to shiver as he looked at Sebastian for help.

"Looks like he was starved and beaten before he was murdered," said Sebastian, still checking the small figure over and sighing. "Looks like a painful death too."

Ciel noticed Sebastian's eyes were glowing a deep red. Was he hungry perhaps? He really couldn't do anything about it right now though, considering they were in a place swarming with private investigators. Why didn't the Queen give the job to him and him alone? He would get more work done if he didn't have Scotland Yard swarming about.

"Are you hungry, Sebastian?" it seemed like an innocent question to most, but Sebastian could tell what it meant. He shook his head and smiled, despite his eyes had a red glowing shimmer to them. Ciel frowned before turning his attention back to the corpse of the child. "I'll feed you later anyway, don't want to take my chances."

"Your chances?" said Sebastian curiously, causing Ciel to sigh.

"You wouldn't understand. I just have a bad feeling that something bad is going to happen," said Ciel, having the decency to move his hand over the boys face and shut his eyes. "I don't like the thought of it, but they'll be targeting you soon enough."

"I thought so," said Sebastian, his voice faltering. "If only this never happened, then perhaps I would have been able to live a normal life…"

Can't think about that now Sebastian," said Ciel, rummaging through his pockets before frowning. "Do you know where my pen is?"

Sebastian shook his head, and Ciel let out a frustrated sound. He left it for now, but he would have to write down the notes later. Covering the dead body with a sheet, Ciel got to his feet, tucking his scarf round his neck firmly as he looked towards the raven-haired male beside him.

"I think this is enough, let us go home Sebastian."

* * *

><p>"Master Ciel! Mister Sebastian!" the young Phantomhive felt his eyebrow twitch as Finny ran up to them, a big smile on his face. "Maylene and Bardroy came over and made dinner for you two coming back! It's served and ready to be eaten!"<p>

"In a moment, Finian," said Ciel, looking at Sebastian through the corner of his eye. "I need to deal with _something _before I can eat. Keep it warm for us, we'll be back in a few moments."

Sebastian gave a bow of apology, despite his aristocrat status, and followed Ciel up the stairs, not noticing how Finny's expression dropped and that he bowed his head. The young blonde boy could remember it well, the _demon _that came out to eat on Ciel's soul every so often. The image still scared Finny, but as long as none of them got hurt/killed, then he would pretend to be unknowing.

For Sebastian's sake, for Ciel's sake.

* * *

><p>"<em>Foolish, foolish child…"<em>

"You're one to talk, demon," snapped Ciel, cupping his cheek that was now bruising. "I've fed you; now let Sebastian come back before I decide not to feed you for a whole month."

There was a snarl in response, but moments later Sebastian blinked before toppling over, as he did most of the time these days. Red eyes blinked before he looked up, narrowing them as he saw Ciel clutching as his left cheek.

"I done it again, didn't I?"

"_You _didn't do it," muttered Ciel, brushing the issue aside. "Anyway, I'm hungry, let us go."

"Aren't you tired? As least let me tend to the injury on your face-"

"Enough Sebastian," Ciel snapped, his voice sounding tired and frustrated. "Your demon is just acting off since he's paranoid about getting caught by the angels right now. It'll go back to normal once I get this sorted with."

"Are you sure?" asked Sebastian as he followed the young teenage boy out the room, his hands already ready to catch him in case he fell down the stairs. "Aren't you worried about the angels as well? One of them seems to be stalking you. If it were me, I think I'd be annoyed by being called '_Pure little Ciel_' all the time."

"There isn't much I can do about that, now is there?" Ciel paused, before sighing. "I'll get round the situation, but I feel a compulsive need to burn Angela, just as she did my parents."

"Hmmm…" the older male followed Ciel into the dining room without another word, earning a loud greeting from everyone until they froze, staring at Ciel. Tanaka was too busy sipping tea to notice anything.

"Master Ciel, what happened to your face?"

"What happened to your face?"

"Look like a bloody sore one that does…"

"Ho?"

"I fell," lied Ciel, knowing it was one of the worst lies to slip his mouth ever. "I'm hungry now, is my food ready to be served?"

"Yes Master Ciel!" Finny jumped to his feet before running into the kitchen, causing Sebastian to cock his head to the side and Ciel to blink in confusion. What got him so jumpy?

* * *

><p>Through his window, Ciel looked at the night sky while rubbing at his tired eyes, turning his head round to see that Sebastian had already dozed of in the armchair he had in his fairly large bedroom. It was obvious the older male was exhausted, but who could blame him? He should be stressed about where his life is going and what-not.<p>

Shutting the curtains, considering Tanaka had forgotten, Ciel stripped of his shirt, looking round the room for his night shirt before he saw it tucked behind a pillow, keeping the silk away from the cool air. Leaning forwards, he picked the piece of material up and slipped it on his small frame, watching as it slid away to reveal his shoulders. It was too big.

He took of his bottoms not long after before crawling into bed, dreading the dreams that were bound to come. He would have to go see _her _again and then would have to deal with her strange attitude and her horrific ways of explaining things to him. If she were trying to act like a _motherly _figure, then she had failed, badly.

Closing his eyes, dark eyelashes fluttered against his pale skin, his expression calming as he allowed himself to sink into a deep slumber.

* * *

><p><em>This place… It was dark. It was so unlike the place he had been going to in his dreams. Now that he thought about it, the church he had visited today looked nothing like the church in his dreams, it merely had the same locations. Did his dreams make it look nicer than what it actually was? or did angels have the ability to make it look nicer whilst they were there?<em>

_That was beside the point, here he was, trapped in a dark word that he couldn't recognize and was robbed of his most important senses. Sight. Touch. Taste._ _All that he had was his hearing and his smell, but he really didn't want to breathe in since he knew what he could smell._

_Blood, lot's of it, and his hearing was screams of raw pain and agony, and it wasn't comforting at all. His hands clung to the upper of his arms, confused that he could feel himself and yet not the ground below him._

"_Hello?" he called out uncertainly, earning a soft echo in response. "Can you tell me where I am, please?"_

'_Lo…n…don…' London? This wasn't London!_

"_Can you please state more clearly where I am?" tried Ciel once more, only to freeze at the haunting tune that reached his ears along with the scream._

'_London bridge… is falling down… falling down… falling down…' Ciel tried to take a step back when he felt smooth fingers cup his chin. If this was Angela's version of a joke, then it wasn't funny. 'London bridge… is falling… my… **dear**… **darling**...' _

_His vision came back, and as he looked up, he let out a scream of dismay to see Sebastian towering over him, red eyes glowing lustfully and teeth sharper than his usual fangs. It wasn't what Ciel was used to seeing, and it was something he didn't want to see._

'_Let's play a game, Ciel~' it wasn't Sebastian, it wasn't Sebastian, it wasn't!_

"_Let go of me!" snarled Ciel in response. "That's an order!"_

'_My, remember, I'm not in a Faustian contract with you~' Ciel blinked before he growled, forcefully pulling himself away from this 'copy' of Sebastian. 'Wouldn't it be tempting… to give me your soul and you could order me around like a slave~?'_

"_Angela, this isn't funny!" shouted Ciel, flinching when 'Sebastian' reached out to cup his chin. "Haven't you done enough? Leave me alone!"_

'_You know you want it,' purred 'Sebastian'. 'The power of the demon, the demon that is **me**.'_

_It wasn't true! Ciel never had once thought about that! Hardening his eyes, he looked around himself only to be greeted by darkness. The only thing he could see was Sebastian, and it wasn't even Sebastian…_

_Right?_

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sky has returned :3_

_Finished my exams too~ Hope you enjoyed the chappy xD_


	5. Chapter 5

Thorns II:

Finding a Bluebird

Summary:- Semi-AU, Sequel to Thorns. Two years later, Ciel lives between his manor and Sebastian's one. The queen has issued an order for him to investigate the 'Cursed Church of Sorrow'. Just from the name of it, Ciel could tell something was wrong. Really wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

"Stop it, STOP IT!"

"Ciel, wake up!"

Mismatched eyes flashed open as Ciel looked round the room quickly, scared eyes widening at the sight of Sebastian before relaxing, his body un-tensing as he took in a deep breath of air. Sebastian stayed still, worried that he might alarm the boy in his half-awake state. After a few moments, Sebastian rose to his feet, finally comfortable that Ciel wouldn't flip out at him.

"Sebastian?"

"Hm?"

"… You aren't hungry, right?" Sebastian paused before shaking his head. He wouldn't admit to being hungry, yet he could feel the hunger clawing at his gut in a painful manner. Ciel had probably picked up on it, but was ignoring it for some reason. The thought worried the raven-haired male. "Good, because I need to go back to the church to investigate. Are you coming too?"

"Of course," said Sebastian, seeing the flicker of dread in the young boy's eye before focusing his own eyes to the side of the room. "I'll be downstairs. Make sure to eat something before we head off."

"Ok."

* * *

><p>"Another body?" Ciel furrowed his eyebrows before sighing. "It is to be expected, since there was already someone else murdered here. Perhaps it's where these children are brought to be killed so no one can hear them."<p>

The Scotland Yard member made a disgusted face before scuttling away, muttering under his breath as Ciel turned to Sebastian, whose red eyes were glowing brightly.

"Is something the matter Sebastian?" said Ciel, flinching slightly, when Sebastian's head snapped to the side and a feral growl escaped him.

"It's… _nothing…_" that was worrying. Ciel could have sworn he heard Sebastian's demon for a moment. Looking round, Ciel blinked as he felt something wet hit his cheek and as he brushed his fingers across it, he withdrew his hand and widened his eyes to see blood sliding down his fingers.

Looking upwards, Ciel snapped his head back down and then bolted for the church tower stairs, hearing Sebastian's footsteps behind him.

"There's something up in the tower," said Ciel, his voice quiet as he kept running before stopping, clutching at his stomach and gritting his teeth. "Be careful, I don't want you to get hurt, Sebastian.

"I won't get- _hurt_," Ciel remained still, choosing to clutch at his stomach while grabbing at Sebastian's ankle, making sure he didn't go up without him. A bad time for his stomach to act up, but there wasn't much he could do about it, now was there?

His eyes widened when, moments later, his grasp on Sebastian suddenly vanished, and as he looked up, the red-eyed human/demon was already up those stairs.

"Sebastian!"

Getting to his feet while continuing to clutch at his stomach, Ciel ran up those stairs, coming to a closed wooden door. When he tried to open it, he found it was too stiff for his small body to push open.

"Sebastian!" called Ciel again, flinching when he heard a snarl and a giggle. He wanted to be able to see what was going on, but it was impossibly. Gripping his stomach tightly, bit the side of his cheek before he put his mind to use, quickly formulating a plan as he tried to ignore the crumbling and the shaking below his feet.

* * *

><p>At the top of the tower, red eyes sparkled and flared as another loud growl escaped the lips of Sebastian, causing the silver-haired angel watching him to giggle.<p>

"I must say demon, your dodging skills are quite impressive~" she said, causing Sebastian to look up, his teeth showing as he let out a hiss. "But in this cramped space, whatever do you plan to do? You cannot escape the angels vengeance."

"_Are you trying to underestimate a child of Satan?" _said Sebastian, the voice making it quite clear that Sebastian was elsewhere. _"And you plan to take away the child who had been quite __**willingly **__feeding me his soul every so often? You are a strange one. I'm contracted with the child, so you shouldn't be affected by it."_

"Oh, but I am," her eyes narrowed, and Angela stepped forwards, white wings flapping and blowing dust away. "You see, Ciel is my little darling, I tried to make him my own, but _you _got in the way."

"_Who knew angels could be quite so possessive," _chuckled the demon, before his eyes glinted. _"Now, to be perfectly honest, I have never eaten an angels soul before, but it does smell rather delicious."_

"Disgusting, unclean, impure," snapped Angela, letting violet eyes trail over the demon she was meant to capture. "I really should try to capture you now when my precious Ciel isn't here, but it's kind of difficult."

"_You won't be able to capture me," _chuckled the demon, a smirk crawling onto his vessels lips. _"For various reasons. I am one of Satan's children, therefore I am stronger than those pesky demons you have captured. Seconds, I feed a lot more than most demons, giving me stronger body and a sharper mind. The last reason it that your cult of fallen angels, even if they did capture me, would instantly try to strip me from my vessels body in attempts to save a soul that __**should **__have been innocent."_

Angela clicked her tongue before reluctantly nodding. It was true that they did try to strip the demons from the human, but there had only been one person that had survived the whole thing.

That child couldn't remember it. That child didn't know that he used to be a vessel for a demon nor does he know how he was left a bloody mess in hospital. Angela let a smile cross her face before turning her head towards the door, hearing it creak.

"I better hurry it up, it seems Ciel has asked for assistance," she said dryly, causing the demon to chuckle.

"_Indeed, if we don't hurry up, I'll have to rush my meal," _replied the demon, before lunging forward and dodging a swipe to his head and dodging another whip of chain that went flying after him. It was kind of hard to attack an angel that had weapons that could potentially kill him.

It was sudden, and something unexpected, but just as he managed to get his sharp nails in Angela's throat, a chain wrapped round his throat and dragged him back, Angela's hysteretic laughing fill the room as he let out a roar, fingers wrapping round the chain in attempts to get it off.

Red eyes looked to the side to see a silver-haired male standing next to him, his expression calm as he tugged on the chain, making it tighter.

"You play too much, Angela," said Ash coldly, his eyes flashing coldly. "You are hurting a human being as well you know."

"I don't care! The _demon _and the human take most of Ciel's attention away from me-" Angela paused and then stared at Sebastian, whose eyes had died down and was retching. "Oh my, the human has come back to the surface~"

Sebastian's clenched his teeth before closing his eyes, mind whizzing to figure out how he got into this predicament. It was obvious that he either blacked out or that demon took over, but how it came to _this_, he would never know.

He felt himself chose as he felt that burning chain against his neck, and when he glanced down with one eye open, he wasn't shocked to see the red, glowing metal wrapped firmly against his throat. At least he could tell how much pain Ciel had been in when this happened to him.

He could feel the pity radiating off Ash as he fell down to his knees, eyes drooping.

"I think it's best I knock him out now. It's not his fault that-"

"Don't you dare knock him out! He deserves to feel the pain!" both angels stopped when they heard the door suddenly breaking open, Ash flying and then landing on the edge of the bell tower for a quick escape as Angela just vanished from sight.

Sebastian looked up, eye barely open and his vision hazy as he tried to locate where Ciel was, but everything was too blurry. He could hear him, but he could see him, and so it aggravated him.

"Sebastian!" Ciel shot a glare at Ash, the one angel he thought he _could _trust before looking round, clutching at his stomach as the Scotland Yard members behind him backed away in fear. "Where's Angela? I know she had something to do with this!"

"That I can't tell," said Ash solemnly, his hand briefly moving to Sebastian's face and shutting his eyelids. Sebastian then fell limp and didn't move, causing Ciel to panic and then run forwards, away from the Scotland Yard members who tried to hold him back.

Pulling a gun from the inside of his coat, Ciel aimed to shoot when-

A soft hand grabbed his own, fingers worming in-between his own before bending his hand back, much to his discomfort. Whipping his head to the side, it was as if everything had stopped, his eye patch slowly falling away from his face and his mismatched eyes taking in the form of Angela.

"Hello again, my little _pure _Ciel~"

* * *

><p>AN: Back again~~~

Next chapter should be much longer~~# Hope you enjoyed~~~

Sky~


	6. Chapter 6

Thorns II:

Finding a Bluebird

Summary:- Semi-AU, Sequel to Thorns. Two years later, Ciel lives between his manor and Sebastian's one. The queen has issued an order for him to investigate the 'Cursed Church of Sorrow'. Just from the name of it, Ciel could tell something was wrong. Really wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

'_Little Bluebird, Little Bluebird…'_

Ciel eyes flashed open, his vision hazy as his hands reached up to clutch at his head. He wasn't too sure what had happened. He could remember seeing Angela, and then everything had stopped. It was confusing. Was it all a dream maybe?

Sitting up slowly, Ciel froze when he felt silk brush off his legs, and as he looked down, he paled. He was wearing _those _clothes. The long, pale white shirt with the cross right through the centre, the four balls in each section of the cross, making it look symmetrical.

Now, the question was, where was this? It couldn't be the church, right? The church he was in was run-down and growing mould, this place looked well-tended to and looked like the paint itself was shining and glittering. Ciel hated to admit it, but the place actually really did look _pure_, for lack of a better word.

The sudden petting of his head caused him to flinch back, his mismatched eyes looking at the angel who was smiling at him, but it was a person he never would have _thought _it to be.

"Hello, _little master_," she chirped, Ciel going pale. "Are you ready to learn your violin today?"

"Amelia Simon?" the angel nodded, taking a step back and stretching her white wings, silvery-blonde hair brushing along her shoulders as she giggled.

"Mistress Angela told me that when you woke up, she wanted you to have the most human day possible before the moon rises," she said, folding her arms before pouting. "And she told me I had to teach you violin in the morning, so I need to feed you and cleanse your hands and feet."

"No, you'll be staying away from me," snarled Ciel, getting to his feet and looking round. "Where's Sebastian? Tell me!"

"I can't tell you that!" she clicked her tongue, before letting a smile grace her lips. "Mistress Angela was going to let you see him later, before night-time fell~!"

Ciel narrowed his eyes, but didn't argue over it. If he ran off, then he might not get to find out where Sebastian is. Getting to his feet, he made a small uncomfortable noise as Amelia pulled him to the bathroom, filling up a glass basin with swirly, warm water.

It was when she tried to strip him of his shirt that he got defensive, stepping away from her.

"Aww, little Ciel is self conscious," she teased, causing the young teen to glare at her. She stepped forwards, grabbing his wrists with one hand and then grabbing the end of the shirt with her other, pulling it over his head and allowing it to fall to the floor, making him increase his struggles. "I can't have you walking around in a shirt you slept in! Mistress Angela would scold me and then I wouldn't get to pinch those little cheeks of yours~"

She reached over, grabbing and bit of Ciel's cheek and squeezing it gently to prove a point, causing his hands to twitch in the sudden want to slap her. He was already conscious of himself as it is, and he had sworn he'd never let a woman (apart from Lady Nina who made his clothes) look at him without clothing, but he was kind of forced into this one. He blinked, feeling a shirt slip over his head before he noticed she had moved his arms.

He stayed still, still having the urge to slap her as she weaved a wash rag through his fingers, the strange water making his skin glitter slightly as he stared at it. He took a guess it was Angela's idea to make his skin glitter, probably to do with making him look more 'innocent'. He gave Amelia a sharp look when she brushed the wash rag up his arm, considering she said she was only doing his hands and feet, but he didn't make a comment. He had to behave to see Sebastian, to make sure Sebastian was ok.

After all visible skin had been scrubbed down, Amelia reached up and started rubbing at his face, a sudden smirk appearing on her lips as she brushed his hair away from his face.

"You may look in the mirror now~"

Ciel turned his head, looking at the tall mirror in disgust before he paused, his eyes wide as he started at his face. His seal eye looked totally different, as if marked.

"What the hell did you do to my eye?" said Ciel suddenly, his voice oddly calm despite the fact he was furious. "I knew something was wrong, I thought I couldn't sense my seal with Sebastian. What did you do to me?"

"Mistress Angela put a human chain on you," said Amelia thoughtfully, causing Ciel to freeze. "She said it was the right way to make you pure again and that she could keep you _forever _if she left it on."

"But leaving that stupid chain on will mean I _can't _die!" yelled Ciel, causing Amelia to blink her big blue eyes in surprise. "No offense, but I _do _eventually want to die, happily, and see my parents again, not live forever with the person who _killed _them!"

"You really a stubborn child," said Amelia softly, before putting a blue, shining clip with a gem in his hair. "But I wonder… how _stubborn _you'll be once _he _dies."

Ciel bit at his lip before staring at himself in the mirror once more, staring at his seal eye that had the same design as his shirt glowing within the small orb. This wasn't good, not good at all.

* * *

><p>Curled up in attempts to keep warm, Sebastian kept his head bowed, shivering lightly as he tried to ignore the chains that were blistering his wrists and ankles and the shrill cries of demon children around him. He couldn't tell if these children were actually people like him with a demon sealed inside, or if they actually <em>were <em>demon children.

"_Human! Why is there another human down here!" _screeched one of them, confirming Sebastian's belief that one of them wasn't like him. _"It's like that stupid human boy that was here! He got to live while we have to die!"_

"_We should kill this human too!" _Sebastian ignored them, knowing the couldn't even move from where they were shackled on the wall. That dodgy angel known as Ash told him that he had at least a chance of getting to live while these demons were going to get slaughtered. He was born human, therefore he should have the chance to live as a human, or so Ash said.

Tugging at his chains more, he let a hiss escape him before he stayed still, eyes narrowed. Apparently he was worth more than these demons so he was part human, so why was he being treated like scum? Probably the work of Angela. He looked round, looking at a little female demon whose red eyes just stared at him.

If anything, the young female demon looked totally innocent. Her blood-red eyes looked like rubies and she was quite, docile. It was quite surprising the angels even knew she was a demon, but then again, Sebastian did learn that demons and angels did have that sense that they could find them if nearby. The only reason he was found was because he was near Ciel, and that really was just a coincidence.

Angela was just a stubborn bitch who needed to get a life. Sebastian looked at the young female demon once more, whose eyes had never left him.

"_You should know that angel Angela isn't going to let you live,"_ said the female demon quietly, causing Sebastian cocked his head to the side. _"I saw it in my dreams last night. I saw you being brought here with a young, human boy. You were meant to go through the cleansing procedure, which is being bathed in holy water, but Angela sabotaged it so you would get killed. You are going to die."_

"Pleasant to know," grumbled Sebastian, watching the demon girl give a yawn before tossing her head back, short black hair ruffling slightly.

"_The future can sometimes change,"_ she said suddenly, causing Sebastian to look at her once more in askance. _"My dream was hazy last night. Hazy dreams mean something unexpected will happen. What that is, I can't tell. My dream about myself was clear as day, so I'm going to die."_

"You don't act very demonic, do you?" asked Sebastian, trying to make conversation with the girl, as if unconsciously trying to ease her worries about death even if she was a demon. She gave a laugh, a laugh that sounded like bells chiming.

"_I was human, once," _she murmured, causing Sebastian to grow confused. _"I made a contract with a demon. She told me she was going to devour my soul, but then something happened as she tried to devour me after my revenge was complete and then… I became a demon. I tried so many times to kill myself after that, not wanting to live such a life, but I couldn't find a way."_

"Then how did you find a way?" asked Sebastian, the raven-haired girls eyes glinting as she looked down.

"_I didn't find a way. The angels found me and knew how I wanted to die. They said I'd be granted my wish," _she said solemnly, causing Sebastian to pause as he looked at the girl, who now hiding her eyes with her bangs. _"They told me I could have a quick, painless death since I was a humane demon, but my dreams told me I was going to suffer a lot. It was angel Angela that was going to claw out my eyes and rip out my no longer beating heart before letting them re-grow and doing it all over again."_

"That's sounds disgusting," commented Sebastian, watching the girl shiver lightly before he coughed. "What's your name?"

"_Lucy," _she murmured. _"I'd prefer not to give out my surname. I don't want to soil my family name because of what I am now."_

Sebastian nodded, allowing his head to lean against the cold wall as a shudder wracked his body, causing Lucy to look at him with a curious expression.

"_Is there something you desire to know?" _Sebastian paused for a moment before sighing.

"You can see the future without having to sleep?" asked the raven, still resting his head against the wall as Lucy gave a small 'yes' in response. "Can you tell me what the future looks like for Ciel Phantomhive?"

"_Ciel… Phantomhive…?" _she murmured, before closing her scarlet orbs and creasing her eyebrows. _"… I see a cross. A cross with four balls. He… He's sitting next to a water fountain, the angel Angela sitting beside him and running her fingers through his hair. He appears to be laughing, yet his eyes look dead. His skin is pale, and it's sparkling in the light as he splashing his hands in the fountain."_

"Are you sure?" Sebastian didn't think that would be Ciel's future at all. He expected something grim, something unpleasant, something-

He stopped thinking when Lucy froze, her expression turning into a scowl as she focused harder.

"_He has a human chain on him," _she said, _"The angel Angela has forced him to become stuck in a continuous time loop, never to grow older. He's speaking about someone he misses. He said… Sebastian?"_

"That would be me," chuckled Sebastian sadly, causing the demon girl to open her eyes and then look at the raven-haired male sorrowfully. "I saved him a while ago, he was starving on the streets."

"_I have had many dreams about that child," _mumbled Lucy, letting out a yawn. _"Angel Angela has forced me to predict that child's future over and over, until she figured out how to get him in her grasp. I think she's upset since she wants Ciel to be her son, not the son of Rachel and Vincent Phantomhive."_

Sebastian remained quiet, but he was thinking deeply. The future of Ciel was hard to figure out, and quite frankly, Sebastian didn't like the sound of it. It sounded peaceful, but _too _peaceful for it to be normal.

* * *

><p>"Oh, my darling Ciel, you look adorable in those clothes!" Ciel tried to remain calm as he felt Angela pet his head fondly, resisting the urge to shiver as her pointed nails ran down the side of his cheek affectionately. "Did you learn anything new on the violin today? Did you have a pleasant lunch~?"<p>

Ciel remained quiet, his mismatched eyes looking around at the outside of the church. It looked exactly the way it did in his dreams, yet when he saw it in real, it was run-down and crumbling. Why was that? Was there any particular reason why it looked beautiful with angels around yet run-down with humans around? He was human, so why did it still look pretty.

"Come, Ciel~" he looked up, blinking as Angela ushered him towards the water fountain and sitting him down the ledge, grabbing his small hands and placing them in the water. "Doesn't that feel nice, Ciel~?"

He wanted to say no, but being cheeky could lower his chances of being able to see Sebastian, so he remained quiet, staring at his reflection while nibbling at his bottom lip. He felt fingers run through his hair, closing his eyes as he felt his shoulders loosen slightly. Just because she relaxed him slightly _didn't _mean he was going to like her. Ciel was, for an eternity, hate Angela's guts.

"Is there something you wanted to ask me, Ciel?" asked Angela suddenly, causing Ciel to blink and then look at the angel with a suspicious expression. She seemed serious, although her eyes were soft and there was a lazy smile on her face.

"Don't hurt Sebastian," it wasn't a question, it was more a statement, an order, and it made Angela's smile turn upside down. Her fingers continued running through his hair as she thought about his statement, before a crawl crossed her lips.

"What do I get, in return of letting that _thing _live?" asked Angela smoothly, causing Ciel to stiffen. What could she possibly want now? She already had him here with her, and there was nothing he could do to escape this angelic world.

"I'll let you look after me, without protesting," said Ciel quietly, causing Angela's fingers to stop moving through his hair. "I'll stay here, with you."

"Hmmm~" Ciel couldn't see it since he was too busy looking at his own reflection in the water, but Angela had allowed a smirk to cross her lips, her fingers beginning to move through his hair once more. "Will you act like the son I've never had~?"

Ciel stiffened, closing his eyes. For once, he had to let his pride go. No matter how much he wanted to kill her over killing his parents, he wouldn't let someone else close to him die again. He bowed his head, feeling those pointy fingernails trace soothing circles in the back of his neck.

"Yes," he mumbled, causing Angela's smirk to turn into a smile. "I'll stay here and be the son you've never had."

"Good," she said, before little a giggle fill the air. "Why don't you let Amelia bathe you~? I'll go make sure Sebastian is let free~"

She rose to her feet before walking off, her wings flapping as Ciel opened his eyes, staring at his reflection once more. He wasn't happy about the decision he made, but he had no choice other than to make that decision. If he hadn't, Sebastian would have died, and he wouldn't- couldn't- allow that to happen.

Sebastian was important to him, very, very important to him.

* * *

><p>Lucy, remaining curled up in a ball with her eyes closed, suddenly jolted forwards in shock before her demonic eyes opened, blinking in confusion.<p>

"_The future has changed-" _she stopped when she saw Sebastian no where in sight before tugging on her chains, but got nothing from it. Her head turned from side to side, looking at the bawling demons near her before gritting her teeth.

She saw the future, one that look brighter for one yet more terrible for the other. Ciel Phantomhive was going to be trapped here forever, yet the image was still hazy, meaning that there was still a chance for the whole thing to change. However, for Sebastian…

They were letting him go?

* * *

><p>He couldn't breathe. The angel gripping his hair had kept him under the water to long, and his lungs were hurting. It was a few moments later that he was brought back to the surface, gasping for air as he struggled uselessly at the angels kept him pinned down, preventing him from leaving the bath they had forced him into.<p>

It made his skin burn. It hurt. His red eyes were glowing brightly as he let out low growls, which he wasn't too sure if it was him or the demon inside of him. He closed his eyes in preparation for being dunked once more before he heard the room door open, causing many of the angels to freeze and turn their heads.

"M-Mistress Angela…!"

"You may release him now," said a sharp, clear female voice, causing most around her to grow confused. "I have what I desire, I have no interest in killing him."

"But Lady Angela, our goal is to destroy all demons! You can't just let him free! He'll breed and-"

"_Our _goal? I made you all believe a foolish lie," spat Angela. "You truly think I had any interest in destroying them? No, I was only interested on getting my hands on the little Phantomhive. Killing demons has more or less been a _sport _to me."

Sebastian felt numb, and the only reason he had noticed the angels had let go of him was because he felt himself sink under the burning water again. He saw up abruptly, gasping and then looking round to see that no one else was here other than him and Angela.

"Get out and get into clothes. I'll let you see my darling Ciel one more time before you can go live your pathetic life."

* * *

><p>Stone, marble doors open, and as Sebastian looked around, his red eyes spotted Ciel, who was sitting next to the waterfall with a book in his hands.<p>

"Ciel?" the boy looked up, causing Sebastian to freeze when he saw the strange mark in the boys eye, but he didn't make a comment. He ran over, giving the boy a hug before frowning when he didn't get a response. The boy remained still, as if uncaring about Sebastian's show of affecting as he held onto his book. "Ciel? Are you ok?"

"I'm perfectly ok," replied the boy quietly, his eyes averted to the ground. "I just want to get back to my book."

Sebastian turned his head to the side as Angela tapped his shoulder before pulling him away, making Ciel get to his feet and running her fingers through his hair.

"Is there something you would like to tell Mr. Sebastian, my little _pure _Ciel?" Sebastian watched as Ciel closed his book, folding the page and placing the book on the ground and staying at Angela's side, clinging to her side as he stared at the ground, a slightly upset expression on his face.

"Sebastian," the raven nodded in acknowledgement as Ciel clenched his eyes shut, burying it into Angela's shoulder. "When you go back home, tell everyone that _Ciel Phantomhive _is _dead_."

Sebastian remained still, not believing what he was hearing or seeing. Ciel was standing there, Angela's arms wrapped round his back in a motherly fashion as he… he told him to tell the others he was _dead?_

"I'm sorry, but what?" Sebastian couldn't, wouldn't, believe what Ciel had just said. He was alive, he was well, and the boy was going to get to go home, right?

"I said, go back home and tell them I'm dead," said Ciel softly, clinging to Angela in a childish manner to calm himself. She merely smiled, petting his head. "And that's… an order."

* * *

><p>AN: Hope you enjoyed the update *In a hurry*

Sky~


End file.
